Thune Previews Plans for 2025 Reconciliation Bills – Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) stated in a closed-door meeting with Senate Republicans last week that he will seek to pass a budget reconciliation bill within the first 30-days of the new Trump administration that focuses on border security, defense, and energy. Thune then plans to work to pass a second reconciliation bill later in the year to deal with extending the 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Thune’s agenda is at odds with the goals of some Republicans in the House of Representatives, who are aiming to pass a tax bill within President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Lawmakers Continue Negotiations on Year-End Package, Health Extenders – Members of Congress continue to negotiate a year-end funding package that could include health care related extenders. Republicans have proposed a three-year extension of COVID-era telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities, flat funding for community health centers, full reauthorizations of the SUPPORT Act and the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, and a 2.5% increase to Medicare physician reimbursements (averting part of the pending 2.83% cut to physician payments under Medicare). The extensions would be offset by repeal of the Biden administration’s nursing home staffing rule and pharmacy benefit manager reforms.
Senate Democratic Leadership Elections – Democratic leadership in the Senate will remain largely unchanged next Congress after conference-wide elections last week. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will continue to serve in their current positions during the 119th Congress. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will serve as chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, replacing retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) will chair the Democratic Strategic Communications Committee. The full leadership team was unanimously approved during a closed-door conference meeting last week. The remaining results of the Senate Democratic leadership elections are as follows:
- Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) will serve as conference vice chairs.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will serve as outreach chair and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) will serve as outreach vice chair.
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will serve as conference secretary and Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) will serve as deputy conference secretaries.
In related news, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has appointed Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) to continue to serve as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. DelBene has served in the position since 2023.
2025 Congressional Calendars – House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) released the House of Representative’s 2025 legislative calendar last week. The chamber is scheduled to be in session for 34 weeks. The 119th Congress will begin on January 3 with the swearing in of members and election of a Speaker of the House. While Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has already been selected by Republicans as their nominee, he will need to be elected speaker by a majority of the chamber come January.
Incoming Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has also posted the Senate’s calendar for 2025. The chamber is scheduled to work for approximately 180 days, including Fridays, next year. After returning for the 119th Congress on January 3, the Senate is not scheduled to have its first recess until mid-March.
Republicans Secure 220 Seat Majority in House – Republicans in the House of Representatives will officially hold a 220-seat majority in the 119th Congress following incumbent Rep. John Duarte’s (R-Calif.) loss to former state assemblyman Adam Gray (D). The House could open the year with two vacant Republican seats – belonging to Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser, and the resigned Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Those seats are set to be filled in Florida special elections on April 1st. The GOP are also expected to see another vacancy upon Senate confirmation of Rep. Elise Stafanik (R-N.Y.), who has been tapped to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
Schiff and Kim to be Sworn in as Senators – Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) resigned from the House of Representatives and will be sworn in on Monday as members of the U.S. Senate. They will fill the remaining days of senate terms being vacated by Sens. Laphonza Butler (D) and George Helmy (D) respectively. Butler and Helmy were appointed to fill seats previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) and Bob Menendez (D) who resigned. By being sworn in to complete the senate terms during the 118th Congress, Schiff and Kim gain seniority for committee assignments over incoming members of the Senate freshman class to be sworn in for the 119th Congress on January 3rd.
House Votes to Reauthorize ONDCP – The House of Representatives voted 399-1 on Thursday to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) through 2031. ONDCP is responsible for coordinating U.S. drug control policy across the administration; its authorization expired on September 30, 2023. The reauthorization legislation (H.R. 9598) also renews the Drug-Free Communities Program, a grant program administered by ONDCP aimed at reducing substance use among young people.
House Committee Chairs to be Chosen This Week – The House GOP Steering Committee will choose new chairs for a number of House committees this week, including the Energy and Commerce Committee. Members of the Steering Committee will hear presentations from committee leadership potentials on Monday and Thursday, and are expected to make decisions about chairmanships by the end of the week. Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio) are running to replace retiring Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). Latta will be the most senior Republican on the panel next year, has sat on all six of its subcommittees, and has chaired two of its subcommittees. Guthrie has sat on five of Energy and Commerce’s subcommittees, and currently chairs the Health Subcommittee. The Education and Workforce Committee, which has jurisdiction over ERISA-regulated health plans will have a new chair since current Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) decided not to continue in the position. Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Burgess Owens (R-Utah) are seeking the chairmanship.
House COVID-19 Panel Releases Final Reports – The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-Ohio) released its final report last week titled After Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward. The full, 520-page final report can be found here, and a summary of the report can be found here. In his introduction to the report, Chairman Wenstrup outlines the following topics as points of bipartisan consensus: 1) The possibility that COVID-19 emerged because of a laboratory or research related accident is not a conspiracy theory; 2) EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. and Dr. Peter Daszak should never again receive U.S. taxpayer dollars; 3) Scientific messaging must be clear and concise, backed by evidentiary support, and come from trusted messengers, such as front-line doctors treating patients; 4) Public health officials must work to regain American’s trust; Americans want to be educated, not indoctrinated; and 5) Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo participated in medical malpractice and publicly covered up the total number of nursing home fatalities in New York. Ranking Member Raul Ruiz, MD (D-Calif.) released the Select Subcommittee Democrats’ final report which stated that the Republican-led subcommittee “failed to find the virus’ origins or advance our understanding of how the novel coronavirus came to be.” Also, he submitted for the record numerous substantive objectives to the report. The Majority report was adopted by the subcommittee on Wednesday by voice vote.
GOP Lawmakers Question HHS on AI Assurance Labs – A group of Republicans in the House of Representatives have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding plans to create government-administered assurance labs that would be charged with vetting artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The lawmakers ask that the Department stop plans to create the assurance labs and “walk back” its support for the Coalition for Health AI’s (CHAI) proposed model for such labs. The letter to HHS Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy Micky Tripathi was signed by Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa). The lawmakers point out that Tripathi was a board observer for CHAI, and ask “how putting the organization directly in control of market entry for innovative technologies does not represent a significant conflict of interest.”
Pallone Urges FDA to Take Action on Red Dye 3 – House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) has sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking the agency to take immediate action to prohibit the use of Red Dye 3 in FDA-regulated products. While FDA banned its use in other products over 30 years ago, Red Dye 3 remains on the market as a color additive approved for use in food and dietary supplements, despite being a known animal carcinogen with health consequences for children. “There is simply no reason for this chemical to be in our food except to entice and mislead consumers by changing the color of their food so it looks more appealing,” Pallone wrote. “With the holiday season in full swing where sweet treats are abundant, it is frightening that this chemical remains hidden in these foods that we and our children are eating.”
GAO Releases Report on Advance Premium Tax Credits – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report examining the federal tax credit meant to offset the premium cost of covering the essential health benefits (EHB) laid out by the Affordable Care Act. Under the law, states may require marketplace plans to cover additional benefits, but the federal tax credit cannot be used to offset the part of the premium that pays for those additional benefits. GAO recommends that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conduct a risk assessment to determine whether its oversight approach is sufficient to ensure that advance premium tax credits exclude the costs of non-EHB mandated benefits, or whether additional oversight is needed. The report was requested by Republican leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In response to the report, Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) encouraged policymakers to “to work swiftly to safeguard taxpayer funds at every corner of the agency” and “prioritize rigorous enforcement of all requirements intended to prevent improper spending.”
CBO Projects Impact of Enhanced Premium Subsidy Expiration – The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that 2.2 million people would lose health coverage in 2026 if Congress allows enhanced premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans to expire at the end of next year. This number would increase to 3.7 million in 2027 and 3.8 million on average between 2026 and 2034. Failure to extend the expanded subsidies would also result in gross benchmark premiums increasing by 4.3% in 2026, 7.7% in 2027, and 7.9% on average between 2026 and 2034. CBO estimates that permanent extension of the subsidies would increase the deficit by $335 billion over the next decade.
Recently Introduced Health Legislation
H.R.10266 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Torres, Ritchie [Rep.-D-NY-15]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
S.5417 — A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to add a Medicaid State plan requirement with respect to the determination of residency of certain individuals serving in the Armed Forces; Sponsor: Blumenthal, Richard [Sen.-D-CT]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.5418 — A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for training and support services for families and caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia; Sponsor: Klobuchar, Amy [Sen.-D-MN]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.Res.1605 — Supporting the goals of World AIDS Day; Sponsor: Lee, Barbara [Rep.-D-CA-12]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Foreign Affairs
H.R.10267 — To improve the provision of care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Bost, Mike [Rep.-R-IL-12]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.10271 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for graduate medical education partnerships in States with a low ratio of medical residents relative to the general population; Sponsor: Castor, Kathy [Rep.-D-FL-14]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10272 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage of weight loss agents for certain individuals under part D of the Medicare program; Sponsor: Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [Rep.-D-FL-20]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.10280 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude certain health professions education scholarship and loan payments from gross income; Sponsor: Tokuda, Jill N. [Rep.-D-HI-2]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
S.5419 — A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to maintain a list of the country of origin of certain critical drugs marketed in the United States, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.5424 — A bill to prohibit gender transition procedures on minors, to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to impose civil penalties on persons who perform gender transition procedures on minors, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Marshall, Roger [Sen.-R-KS]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.5428 — A bill to provide women with increased access to preventative and life-saving cancer screening; Sponsor: Murray, Patty [Sen.-D-WA]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.R.10281 — To promote United States leadership in technical standards by directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of State to take certain actions to encourage and enable United States participation in developing standards and specifications for artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Obernolte, Jay [Rep.-R-CA-23]; Committees: House – Science, Space, and Technology
H.R.10282 — To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the Living Organ Donation Reimbursement Program; Sponsor: DelBene, Suzan K. [Rep.-D-WA-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.10287 — To provide women with increased access to preventive and life-saving cancer screening; Sponsor: Gomez, Jimmy [Rep.-D-CA-34]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10288 — To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to prohibit health care providers and facilities from imposing certain facility fees for telehealth; Sponsor: Hayes, Jahana [Rep.-D-CT-5]; Committees: House – Education and the Workforce
H.R.10291 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for certain fall prevention items under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Magaziner, Seth [Rep.-D-RI-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Budget
H.R.10297 — To advance research, promote awareness and education, and improve health care, with respect to thyroid disease, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Stevens, Haley M. [Rep.-D-MI-11]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
S.5432 — A bill to facilitate direct primary care arrangements under Medicaid; Sponsor: Blackburn, Marsha [Sen.-R-TN]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.5433 — A bill to provide consumers with the right to delete their genomic data, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cassidy, Bill [Sen.-R-LA]; Committees: Senate – Commerce, Science, and Transportation
S.5437 — A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network; Sponsor: Grassley, Chuck [Sen.-R-IA]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.5445 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage of contraceptive items and services at no cost-sharing under the Medicare program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Hassan, Margaret Wood [Sen.-D-NH]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.5448 — A bill to clarify the time period for registering health care apprenticeships under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”) and require the digitization of apprenticeship agreement forms under such Act, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Wyden, Ron [Sen.-D-OR]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.R.10299 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to prohibit Federal financial participation for gun violence prevention or intervention programs under the Medicaid program; Sponsor: Clyde, Andrew S. [Rep.-R-GA-9]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.10305 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exempt certain drugs from the part D manufacturer discount program under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Garbarino, Andrew R. [Rep.-R-NY-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.10307 — To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program under which a TRICARE Prime beneficiary may access obstetrical and gynecological care without a referral, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Horsford, Steven [Rep.-D-NV-4]; Committees: House – Armed Services